Category: Tourism

BEIJING, Dec 14, 2006 (AFP) – China has consolidated its position as the Asia leader in outbound tourism, with 28.6 million Chinese travelling overseas in the first 10 months of the year, state media said Thursday. The number marked an increase of 10.8 percent from the same period last year, the China Daily reported, citing […]

December 2, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka plans to part of its embarkation fee revenue to develop the Kalpitiya Dutch Bay Island into a tourist attraction, the government said Saturday. Cabinet of ministers had agreed to initiate the project across 5,000 acres of land at a cost of 350 million rupees. Tourism Minister Anura Bandaranaike […]

November 29, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s top hotel groups are increasingly relying on their Maldivian operations and investments into India for survival, as an escalation in violence deters visitors here “The projection for Sri Lanka is rather poor at least for the next few months. If the security situation improves hopefully, things will certainly […]

November 10, 2006 (LBO) – Holidaymakers to Sri Lanka fell 12.0 percent for the 12 months to October, the Sri Lanka Tourist Board said Friday, amidst soaring violence in the North and East. Sri Lanka greeted 38,815 visitors in October, the largest monthly decline since December 2005, as government troops and Tamil Tigers stepped up […]

GALLE, Sri Lanka, Oct 22(AFP) – Holidaymakers on the beaches around Sri Lanka’s southern port of Galle seemed unconcerned about last week’s Tamil Tiger suicide attack here, but industry professionals are shaking their heads.The three decades of ethnic bloodshed in the island nation have claimed more than 60,000 lives. One day after five Tiger rebel […]

Oct 20, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka may still cross the half a million tourist arrival mark this year though falling short of targets, even as Australia issued a tough warning on Friday not to travel to the troubled island. Fighting between Sri Lanka government and Tamil rebels have escalated in recent months, with some […]

Oct 19, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka has seen a 22 percent jump in Indian visitors during a six months promotional campaign across top metro cities India, a local industry group said Thursday. The Sri Lanka – Small Island, Big Trip campaign ran from March to August this year across Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore […]

Oct 18 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s tourism industry is counting on proposed peace talks to salvage the peak winter season, following Wednesday’s terrorist attack in Galle. The winter season starts in November, with the industry expecting occupancy levels in the South to be in the region of a low 55 percent even before the attacks. […]

Oct 13, 2006 (LBO) – Sri Lanka’s visitor arrivals in September fell 12 percent, but the Tourism Board is hoping discount airfares and peace talks between the government and Tamil Tiger rebels would stem the slide. Holidaymakers to this tear shaped island fell 11.6 percent to 38,485 visitors in September over the corresponding period 2005, […]

Oct 04 (LBO) – Dubai based Emirates will up weekly flights between Colombo and Dubai, ahead of Sri Lanka’s peak winter tourist season in November. The airline currently operates 13 services a week between its home base and Sri Lanka’s capital, now going up to 17 flights a week, the airline said in a statement […]

Sept 20 (LBO) – Tourist and business traffic from Sri Lanka to Thailand is expected to go on as normal following a military coup there, with few inquiries and cancellations, tour operators and airlines said. Thailand is popular among Sri Lankans as a leisure and shopping destination for with business travel contributing. Our operations will […]

SINGAPORE, September 20 (LBO) –Singapore-based luxury resort and spa chain Banyan Tree has shelved plans for Sri Lanka, as the leisure industry takes a beating amidst an upsurge in violence. The luxury leisure operator recently opened a spa at Cinnamon Grand Hotel in Colombo, besides a managing the Deer Park Hotel in Giritale under its […]